Sign the Petition to

Chief of Police Joe Hall and Superintendent of Polk County School District John Stewart

We demand that you drop all charges against Kiera Wilmont and reinstate her, without penalty, at Barstow High School.

Kiera did not create a weapon. When Kiera combined a liquid household cleaner and aluminum that day she was doing so as part of a science experiment and did not expect for the two substances to have such a severe reaction.

When smoke was released from the waterbottle with the two ingredients, Keira stayed put and addressed the situation with her principal and other school authorities.

There was no malicious intent in Kiera's actions and no one was hurt. As a 16-year-old student, Kiera, like her peers, is expected to make mistakes, learn from them, and grow from them. That's what high school is for.

Drop the charges against Kiera now, and allow her to continue her education and Barstow High.

Signed,

Kellen MacFadyen

This petition closed over 3 years ago

How this will help

Kiera Wilmot is being charged with two felonies and as an adult for a small science experiment that she created outside her school one morning last week.

Kiera Wilmot is being charged with two felonies and as an adult for a small science experiment that she created outside her school one morning last week.

Kiera mixed a household cleaner with aluminum in a small water bottle and the two ingredients reacted to the combination by popping the top off of the bottle and emitting a small amount of smoke. No one was hurt from the incident.

When school authorities arrived on the scene Kiera Wilmot was still there to carefully explain what happened. However, her explanation was not enough to keep the police from arriving at the school to arrest her under charges of "possession/discharge of a weapon on school property and discharging a destructive device" In Florida, both of these charges are felonies, additionally, 16-year-old Kiera is being tried as an adult.

The Polk County School District has expelled Kiera from school despite the defense of her classmates, staff, and principal at the Bartow High School who have reported that Kiera's actions meant no harm. The Bartow Principal, Ron Pritchard stated "She told us everything and was very honest. She didn't run or try to hide the truth. We had a long conversation with her. She is a good kid. She has never been in trouble before. Ever She made a bad choice. Honestly, I don't think she meant to ever hurt anyone."

High schools should be safe places for students to experiment, explore, and learn through self discovery. Kiera's actions were harmless and accidental. Please sign this petition to tell the Polk County Police Department and School District that they have severely overreacted to the situation and that they must remove these charges immediately.